Tuesday, October 26, 2010

tutu tutorial

I've had some requests for a tutorial for the tutu's. I wasn't sure if I wanted to give a tutorial for a few reasons, but the biggest was that the tule was difficult to work with. I didn't want anyone cursing my name while making this. 

The process may be easier for you, if you buy the tule from a bolt. I kind-of inherited my tule. I received a lot of tule in little folded up pieces.  It was great because I didn't have to buy yards and yards of tule, but I almost went crazy with all the creases that were created from it being folded. 
I'm not exactly sure how much tule I used. My best guess is that you'll need 3 yards of 3 different yet complimenting colors of tule.  Basically you need 9 yards of tule. I used less for my 18 month old. I probably used 6 yards for her. You can use less, it won't be as full, but will still stick out.
I stared by cutting my tule in 6" strips (4" for my 18m). Tule usually comes off the bolt folded into fourths.  Don't unfold it, just cut it into strips. Once cut, you can open the strip, so it's still has two layers of tule. Make 9 piles of strips. If you have three yards of each color you should have 2 strips of each color. 

When all of you strips are cut, take a pile and fold it in half. Put something heavy on the fold to hold it in place. 


Then cut your ends to a rounded point. 


Now open it back up and fold it in half lengthwise. 

Sew a straight stitch right down the middle. 

When all of your strips are done, attach them to a 2" elastic cut to the length of your child's waist. Space them out about 2" to 3" apart.  You can mark you elastic before you sew them on if you don't want to eyeball it. Sew a straight stitch over the previous stitch.  
The last thing you need to do it sew the two ends of the elastic together with a zigzag stitch. 

The elastic band will show, mine was hidden with the leaf aprons. You can leave it, cover it like I did or even dye it like Dana. 

For my leaf apron I cut leaf like shapes out of felt and sewed them to ribbon. Super Easy.

Good Luck and let me know if I need to clarify anything.

13 comments:

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

I just made a tutu this week and it was sooo hard! Thanks for the tutorial. Great tips!

I shared it on the Tatertots facebook page and linked to you.

xox
Jen

Mami Made It said...

Great tutorial! Fantastic tutu!

Anne said...

This is an awesome tutu!! I linked to your tutorial over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-diy-fairy-tutu/2010/10/26/

--Anne

ellie g said...

Love this. My daughter got to wear a dress-up long tutu at dance this week, and she can speak of nothing else. I'm thinking she may need one for Christmas. Thanks!!

Bron said...

Thank you for sharing your creativity....hope I can do as nice a job with mine for my niece.

MammaDucky said...

Eeeps! I'm so excited!! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm feeling a run to the fabric store is coming on. I swear, it was like a lightbulb going off in my head as I read through this tutorial.
THANK YOU!!!!

Jenn said...

Very cute fairies!!
I would love for you to join us for Craftify It Thursday! Your welcome to link up any of your crafts. I also have you on my blog roll! :D

Jennifer @ Life with the Lebedas
www.lebedafamily.blogspot.com

viento said...

I think your tutu and tutorial are just great. I make a lot of tutus of many different varieties (paid my daughter's way through a couple years of dance school that way) but I never thought to do it this way. Very creative and quite attractive. I absolutely love the apron of leaves. Thank you for posting.

Kat said...

Ohhhh this is so fluffy!!! I just made one but its not as fluffy as this, I think I might have to make this for my Fairy Princesses at home!! Thanks for sharing!

Delia said...

I have never seen a tutu made like this! I LOVE it! It really makes it poof out.

The Palmers said...

I love it, thank you so much for posting, I can't wait to make one for my little girl

still in the process... said...

totally not related to your tutu, which is SO cute... I have almost the exact wedding ring as you! Mine is a "family ring" and I have never seen anything like it...

The Blaisdell Family said...

Found your blog through a blog through a blog type of thing...and I love it! So creative! I made a tutu for my daughter this past Halloween, and although it was cute, this one is awesome! I've never seen it done this way. It's so full and fluffy, it's perfect!

Question, after my daughter wore the one I made the tulle just kept bunching and balling up and I ended up through it out after a couple weeks because it was just a big mess. Are there different types of tulle?? Yours looks like it has bigger "holes" than what I used. I am not a "crafter" per-say, so I'm sure this is a dumb question, I just thought all tulle was the same, but I'm thinking now it's not??

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